And then there was you
by KiDcoco
Summary: An incredibly hot guy standing at the entrance of a high school cafeteria and no girls filled with raging hormones were drooling at the sight of him. I was the only one in this overcrowded cafeteria who acknowledged his existence. ALL HUMAN. R&R! my 1st
1. The Dream

Chapter 2 will be up soon. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Twilight and I am not Stephenie Meyer. (sighs).**

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There he was, like some type of God gracing me with his presence. Everything about him was completely perfect and for that he could just be the guy of dreams. Well actually he kind of was; I mean I'm pretty sure this was a dream because there was no way someone like this existed. It's like I combined a number of guys and made one super stud. Jeez, I wish I put this much creativity into that stupid science project I handed in last week. Anyway, he just stood there in the cafeteria entrance with a piece of paper in his hand looking in my direction. His eyes were a deep honey color which went together lovely with his messy bronze hair. A dark gray sweater concealed his muscular ivory chest depriving me of such a beautiful sight. I sat at my lunch table just staring at this guy while the other students around me carried on as usual. I took my eyes off him for a brief second to take a glance at the people around me. All of my friends were there: Angela, Jessica, Ben, and Mike eating and talking some nonsense I couldn't quite understand. I then looked around the whole cafeteria to see that no one was looking at the guy; it was as if they hadn't even noticed him. That was definitely a first. An incredibly hot guy standing at the entrance of a high school cafeteria and no girls filled with raging hormones were drooling at the sight of him. I was the only one in this overcrowded cafeteria who acknowledged his existence. I felt my legs start to shake as I tried to stand up from my seat and make my way towards him. As I proceeded to take a step forward, I brilliantly managed to stumble on someone's overly large book bag. Great, I thought to myself, just before my face hit the floor.

Instead of hitting a cold, hardwood floor my face landed on a fluffy fabric surface. I turned my face in pain but oddly there was no pain at all. I was in a dark place now where apparently pain didn't exist. I scrunched up my face in confusion realizing that my eyes were closed. As I opened them rays of light penetrated my vision informing my brain that I was in fact dreaming. I sat up to look around at my messy room, rubbing my eyes in the process. A sunny day in Forks was just about as odd as my dream was.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!_

"Cheese and rice!! I'm up, I'm up!" I spat out. That stupid alarm clock always ruined my peace and quiet in the morning. I definitely need to find a new one. I took my time crawling out of bed, grabbed my Ipod from my bag and then connected it to my stereo. Some good music could definitely lighten up my mood. I grabbed my bathroom bag and headed for the door. As I walked across the hallway I spotted Charlie on his way out the door.

"Morning Charlie!" I shouted.

"Hey Bells! I'm kind of late," he stammered. "I'll see you later. Be good kiddo." In a matter of seconds he was out the door.

"Yeah, like I have a choice," I replied to the front door as it shut. Having your father be the chief of police in a small town didn't really leave any space for bad behavior. I must been the only teenager for miles aching to cause some havoc. Oh well, in another life I suppose.

After a nice warm shower I dressed into my comfy jeans and t-shirt while I danced to the rhythm of the music. I threw on a hoodie and grabbed my bag and keys off my desk. No time for breakfast today, I was late. I made it to the Rabbit in a matter of seconds.

As I drove to school I thought about the dream. Who was he and, more importantly, why was I having a dream about some random guy when I was already with the love of my life?


	2. School

I posted this rather quick but the next chapter is going to take a while. Please review!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Twilight.  
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My dashboard clock read 8:00. I made it to school just in time but somehow I felt time was flying by. I hadn't even fully begun to analyze my dream with _him_.

"Ugh, get over it Bella, it was just a dream…" I whispered to myself. "Just a dre-

_BANG!_

I literally jumped in the driver's seat and hit my head on the roof.

"OW!!" I muttered as I heard a tap on my window. I turned my head and met the eyes of tan skinned boy with shaggy black hair. "Couldn't you just have knocked like a normal person?" I hissed as I rubbed my head.

_Ah,_ Jacob. After having been together for nearly a year, he managed to make a profession out of scaring the crap out of me. I would eventually forgive him, like always. I was a sucker for those big brown eyes and those luscious lips. _God_, he was such a good kisser; it made my knees buckle.

"Jeez babe, it's only me," he said grinning.

"Yeah, I can see that" I said smiling sarcastically. I grabbed my bag off the passenger's seat and slowly made my way out of the car, trying to avoid another head injury. As soon as I slammed the door, Jacob grabbed my waist turning me around a full 360 degrees and met my lips with his. I wanted to push him away but my arms gave up in defeat resting on his chest, surrendering to the kiss. He gently sucked my bottom lip and pushed his tongue into my mouth. I slid my hands up to his neck and laced my fingers, holding him prisoner in my arms. His lips slowly parted mine leaving me wanting more. He looked down and met my eyes as he pulled me closer to him.

"I love you babe," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I asked playfully. "Hmm, I love you too." I quickly pecked him on the lips and gave him a goofy smile bearing all my teeth.

He chuckled. "C'mon, we're gonna be late."

The sun shone on my face as we walked hand in hand into the main building. I looked up to see clouds uncovering a blue sky. Weird, I thought to myself, but a nice change nonetheless. It had taken me about a year to get used to all the rain after I moved here from Phoenix. It would rain later, I was sure of it.

"Nice day huh?" Jacob asked as he opened the door for me.

"Mm-hmm, but I bet it'll rain later" I replied.

"Well I think we shouldn't let it go to waste," he said quickly. "Hiking?"

"Umm, I'll get back to you on that Jake. You're little stunt just made me late for class" I said picking up my pace. I really didn't want detention but I definitely preferred it over my Calculus class any day.

"Careful there Speedy Gonzalez, I don't think there's time to squeeze in a visit to the nurse's office before class," he said to the back of my head.

"Ha!" I shot back at him, making it to the door. I turned around to give him a quick peck. "See you," I muttered unhappily. I turned back around and walked into a two -hour torture. I heard the sound of his sneakers screeching against the waxed floor, _he_ was going to be late. I managed to make it to my seat as the bell rang.

"Morning Ang," I whispered to the brunette in front of me. Angela and I had become good friends after my first week of school here. She hadn't replaced my best friend, Alice, who now lived in Seattle. I missed her but it was nice to have a good friend close by.

"Hey you," she said looking back at me, "what's up?"

Should I tell her about the dream? I needed help dissecting it so I could finally concentrate on _reality_. The slamming of the classroom door suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"Good Morning people," Mr. Danho shouted over the noisy classroom.

"Ugh" I groaned as he took a stack of papers out of his briefcase. Pop Quiz.

I was starving, to say the least, when lunch finally rolled around. I met Jake at the food line, greeting him with my unhappy face.

"Hi" I muttered.

"Tough morning?" he guessed.

"Yes and I am starving!" I informed him. I grabbed a tray and started to attack with ridiculous amounts of food. We sat at our usual table in the center of the cafeteria. We weren't the cool, popular kids but senior status did have its perks. A minute later Angela, Ben, Mike, and Jessica joined us. Ben was Angela's boyfriend; they had such an adorable chemistry. Mike was openly obsessed with Jessica but she didn't give him the time of day. Tough love.

"So did you make up your mind?" Jake asked. Damn, I didn't even think about that. Oh what the hell, I didn't feel like staying in the house today. The laundry would have to wait.

"Er, sure," I responded. "It couldn't hurt, right?"

"Knowing you, it probably could," he said smiling. "But thanks babe" he said as he kissed my cheek. I felt the blood circulating to my face when his lips made contact with my skin. He had his sweet moments and that was what attracted me to him. He made me feel like a kid, filling me with frustration when he played his tricks on me and then wooing me with his charm, making it impossible to retaliate. I smiled when I met his beautiful brown eyes.

"Ahem, _Mrs. Black_?" Jessica hissed at me. Way to ruin a moment Jess.

"Yes,_ Mrs. Newton?_" I shot back trying to hold back a smile. Mike snorted as he drank his milk, causing the liquid to run down the corner of his mouth onto his shirt. Jacob hunched over his food, laughing hysterically. Jessica rolled her eyes at Mike who was now desperately looking for a napkin to wipe his shirt with. Poor Mike, I thought as I handed him a napkin from my tray.

"Anyway Bella," Jessica started, " did you submit those pictures of yours to that contest I told you about?"

"Yeah, last night" I replied smiling at her. I knew that my chances of winning the contest were slim but I was excited about putting together my portfolio for art school. I couldn't wait to start applying for college.

We joked for the rest of the lunch hour. We all groaned as we heard the bell ring; fun was officially over. Jacob walked me to Biology carrying my books in one arm and hugging my waist with his other. We agreed to meet up at my house after school so that we both had time to change.

"I'll see you later" he whispered in my ear. He then kissed my lips while placing my books in my arms.

"Mm-hmm" I responded wearily. He gently shoved me through the door and back to reality. I gave him a dirty look as he smiled at me and walked away.

As soon as the last bell rang, I skipped out of class and made my way to the parking lot. I reached my car, threw my bag on the passenger's seat and proceeded to exit the lot. I decided to give Alice a call; maybe she could talk some sense into me. That dream had slowly infiltrated my thoughts over the course of the day. It was starting to be unbearable. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone.

_Later on..._

"But what does it mean?" I asked for the fifth time. I had been on the phone with Alice for a good 15 minutes and she still didn't have an answer.

"Well Bella, I guess it means Jacob has some competition" she laughed. I could tell she wasn't taking this seriously.

"Yeah Alice, that's it." I replied sarcastically. Maybe I was reading too much into it. "You know what? Just forget it."

"No need to get so uptight about it" she replied.

"No, it's not even that. Its just frustrating to think about" I said softly.

"Bella it was just a dream. You love Jacob, so end of story," she said sweetly. "You can't worry about someone who doesn't even exist." She was right I had to let it go.

"Oh! I got the cutest little dress at the mall yesterday and..." she started. Oh here we go, Alice and her shopping vice. This girl could probably navigate the mall in a blindfold. She continued to tell me about other things she bought and then about her new boy-toy Jasper.

"Yeah, Alice I gotta go," I said as the doorbell rang. I hated to end our conversation even though I didn't share her love of clothes. I truly missed her and phone time was the only thing that made me feel that she was close.

"Miss you," I said before hanging up.

"Love you Bella!" she replied as I shut the phone.

I grabbed my jacket and headed down the stairs. I left a note for Charlie on the refrigerator door. He would have to make his own dinner if I didn't get back before he did. I opened the door as I pulled my hoodie over my head.

"Ready babe?" he asked as he kissed me. I nodded and reached for his warm hand.


	3. Surprise

Chapter 3! Enjoy it and PLEASE review. Things only get more complicated from here.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Twilight.. Stephenie Meyer does ;**

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As we walked to his Subaru I finally identified the reason for my frustration. It wasn't so much that I didn't know who the guy was; it was the fact that I desired someone else. Why? Was it purely physical attraction or something deeper? Jacob was a tall, tan-skinned boy with adorable shaggy hair. His sweet, dark brown eyes and his juicy lips further beautified his handsome face. I was not complaining at all.

This _guy_, was just a guy. Ok, he was insanely beautiful but I didn't know anything else about him. It couldn't possibly be anything deeper than physical attraction.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Jacob suddenly asked. I hadn't even noticed that it had been minutes since we left my house. I looked out my window to see where we were. Where was he taking me?

"Well, I was wondering where we were going" I responded instinctively. I wasn't about to tell him about the dream. I was even criticizing myself; imagine what Jacob would've said. Besides, I was really wondering where we were going. This wasn't the usual route to the trail.

"Umm, I changed my mind at the last minute," he said. " I want to go somewhere else."

"Okay," I said slowly, "and where is that?" He shook his head immediately.

"It's a surprise," he smiled. Boy, he was getting more and more thoughtful everyday. I felt a twinge of guilt in my stomach. Wait. I hadn't even done anything wrong, I reminded myself.

I returned the smile and reached for his right hand, which rested on his leg. I diverted my eyes towards the road in front of us. We made our way to First Beach in the neighboring town of La Push in about 15 minutes.

"This is barely a surprise," I informed him as soon as I recognized where we were.

"That wasn't the surprise Bella. I'm more creative than that" he shot back.

I smiled apologetically and leaned towards him. "I'm sorry Jacob," I said sweetly, " I guess I don't give you enough credit."

"That's okay," he replied reassuringly. He parked the car near the entrance of the beach. I got out of the car and looked at the sight in front of me. Despite the accumulation of a few light gray clouds in the blue sky, it was still a nice day. The waves rushed against the shore of the empty beach as if they were seeking company. I turned around to see Jacob opening the trunk of the car. He took out what looked like a few blankets and a basket. Aw, he planned a picnic. This boy was too sweet.

He grinned as he recognized the expression on my face. Awe.

We walked along the beach, admiring the scenery. We talked briefly about school and the upcoming basketball season. Jacob was the point guard for the school basketball team. I was never a sports fanatic but I had picked up a few things about basketball when I went to a couple of games last season. Practice would be starting up again soon, he reminded me.

We stopped to set up the picnic by an old tree bark. He had brought fruits, water, whipped cream, and apple pie. After we got comfortable in the blankets, I started to nibble on the fruit.

"So," I started, "what's this all about?" We hadn't really talked about anything important. What was this surprise? He was looking straight ahead into the horizon, the expression on his face calm but I sensed there was more. I cupped his chin in my hand, turning his face in my direction. I felt a shrill go down my spine as I looked deep into the darkness of his eyes. "Jacob?" I whispered.

"I… I've been wanting to do this for a while and I um, I guess I don't want to just let more time pass by" he suddenly said. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a little gold box. A myriad of thoughts crossed my mind in those few seconds it took for him to speak again.

"Isabella," he said awkwardly, "I want to make this last forever. I know we're still young but I.. I love you so much and I feel like we're going to hit different paths. I just want us to promise each other that we'll stick it through, no matter what."

What the hell was he talking about? We were fine, we were doing fine! I couldn't even remember the last time we had a major fight. Why was he saying this? I quickly composed myself, I wanted to be calm.

"Jacob. I thought we were doing fine" I responded calmly. "I don't understand where all this pessimism is coming from."

"No, don't take this the wrong way Bella. I'm just thinking ahead what with the season coming up and then we'll be hitting college soon…" his voice trailed off. "I know we won't be spending that much time together and that's crucial in a serious relationship." "I'm committing," he smiled nervously. "Will you accept this ring?" I looked down to see a gold band held in between his two fingers.

My mouth dropped slightly as I tried to give a response. I had so much to say but it just wouldn't come out. I wanted to tell him that a ring wasn't going to prevent any sort of trouble. I was going to be alone while he was at practice. We would be going to different colleges next year, he Washington State and I somewhere in California or New York. Change was inevitable. The ring was unnecessary but a sweet gesture nonetheless. Maybe I couldn't say what was really on my mind because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I needed to give him an answer before he suspected any trace of doubt in my face.

"Yes" I answered looking up to meet his eyes. He smiled and proceeded to place the ring on my left hand. I decided to let him in on some truth. "Jake, we need to put in effort to make this work, things don't just happen on their own" I said quietly.

"I know babe," he replied. " I just want you to know that I promise to love you through thick and thin."

We spent the next half hour eating the pie and fruits and making small talk. Despite the romantic events that had just taken place, I was feeling pretty lousy. I already knew what he was referring to when he said we were going different paths; I just refused to acknowledge it until the time came. Why think about what might be the end when you're still having fun? I don't know if he saw through my façade. I half expected him to bombard me with questions as to why I wasn't all mushy luvy duvy, but he didn't. He knew what I was thinking, probably beating himself up inside for even bringing it up.

He drove me home in silence but often looked at me from the corner of his eye to make sure I was okay. When we reached my house, I glanced at him before I opened the door.

"Thanks for everything" I said meekly. "I'll see you tomorrow." I gave him a quick peck before he could say anything and got out of the car. I half-ran to my door wanting to get away from him before the waterworks began. When I closed the door behind me I quickly peeked through the window. He was still sitting in the car with his head tilted back against the headrest, eyes closed. I felt the tears start to weld up as he slowly backed out of my driveway. I quickly wiped away the few tears that managed to escape my eyes when I heard Charlie call my name.

"Hey Bells, how was the hike?" he shouted over the TV. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.

"Fine " I said casually. "Did you eat something yet?"

"Yeah, I ordered some pizza. It's on the table."

"Thanks" I said as I made my way to the kitchen. I ate a slice rather quickly and washed it down with a glass of soda. After I washed the plate, I made my way towards the living room.

"Hey, I'm gonna call it a day. I think I'm getting a headache," I said as I popped my head through the doorframe. I slightly winced as I said the word headache. That should do the trick.

"Let me know if you need anything" he said tearing his eyes away from the TV screen for a few seconds.

"Sure" I replied. "Night."

I cried silently as the warm water trickled down my face and on to the rest of my body. I thought about what Jacob had said and the way he said it. He was so sure that we would have trouble keeping this relationship on good terms. How was I supposed to happily accept a ring after that? I took it out of pity, pity for our relationship. I didn't know what to do with myself after I finished bathing. Even though I needed to talk to Alice I decided sleep was the best option. As I lay there, unable to find a comfortable position, my mind drifted to the memory of when Jacob and I first met. I had just gotten out of a bad relationship when I moved here from Phoenix. Alice had introduced us, secretly hoping that we would hit it off immediately. I was quick to inform him about my recent failed relationship, he understood. Jacob slowly picked up the pieces of my broken heart and put it back together again when he asked me to be his girlfriend. I fell in love with a sweet, understanding boy, the boy that would ease all of your worries and respect all of your opinions and decisions without demanding anything in return. Losing him was inevitable, that much I knew already. Our lives were going in two different directions unintentionally, but it was destiny. Could I ever find someone better than he?

Sleep wiped out all of my thoughts, taking me to a place where I didn't have to worry anymore. _He _was there, in all his beauty, and he would always be there as long as I wanted him to.


	4. Reality

Chapter 4, Finally. I took quite a long hiatus. Chapter 5 will be up soon.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, Stephenie Meyer does. **

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I spent the next two weeks occupying myself with building my portfolio for my art school applications. I was planning on applying to The Academy of Art in San Francisco, The School of Visual Arts, and Parsons in New York. I was dying to get away from Forks these days. Ever since Jacob gave me the ring that day at the beach things have been going further downhill with us. We only spoke before class, at lunch, and we occasionally called each other. Basketball practice had started; it was the only thing that was keeping us from talking about our problems and I was glad.

What had kept me from going into a teenage heartbreak meltdown were my dreams with _him_. I dreamt about him almost every night and when I didn't, I dreamt of nothing. He was a constant reminder of the possibility of there being someone else who could love me and appreciate me. I couldn't let that go until I had found that someone, I just couldn't.

I was going to visit Alice this upcoming weekend; I couldn't wait to get away from Forks. It rained every single day since the picnic at the beach, not that I was surprised. It just made it twice as hard to find something to be happy about. Although I was going to be visiting Alice, I was not looking forward to today. I had two major tests to completely kill my Friday joy.

I arrived at school on time despite the massive raindrops that attacked my windshield at every minute. As I got out of the car I prayed that I wouldn't be _so _accident-prone today, that was the last thing I needed. I entered my Calculus class to find Jacob sitting in my seat.

"Fantastic" I muttered under my breath. He was talking to Angela when I walked through the door and when he saw me he tried to maintain his smile. I tried to act calm as I walked to my seat. I debated on whether or not I should smile, but before I knew it I was in front of him.

"Hey," I said slightly smiling to the both of them.

"Hey" Jacob replied as he looked at me, his gleeful expression slowly fading. Angela smiled at me but I guess she sensed the awkwardness because she quickly turned around.

"Listen," he said standing up, "I think we need to talk about um… things."

"Um, yeah" I agreed. Mr. Danho walked in just as I managed to give Jacob my reply. Jacob slowly moved past me allowing me to take my seat. As I sat down I watched him leave the classroom. He looked at me right before he reached the door and I quickly looked away. God, could this day get any worse?

I think I passed the Calculus and English tests, but I was pretty sure I had a pop quiz after lunch. Ugh, lunch. Jacob would surely seize the opportunity and I was not prepared. While I waited in the lunch line I tried to think of ways that I could successfully avoid the dreaded conversation or maybe even Jacob altogether. All my ideas were utterly absurd and absolutely hopeless. I would have to deal with it, I finally decided as I spotted Jacob at our usual table. I quickly tried to think of a few excuses before I reached the table but they were even more ridiculous than the others. Jacob was the only one at the table. Where the hell was everyone else? He stood up to greet me when I reached him. I guess he was going in for a peck but I couldn't be sure. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head slightly to get a better look.

I must be hallucinating. Yes. It was either that or this was a dream. It seemed so real though, I could've sworn that I was really awake. But if I was really awake, then why was _he_ here? But as I strained my eyes to get a better view it wasn't _him_, but it might as well have been because he was gorgeous. He had messy brownish, blond hair and what appeared to be green eyes. I noticed he had a piece of paper in his hands. Holy shit.

"Bella, what's wrong with you?" Jacob interrupted my thoughts. I turned my head to him and then quickly sat down.

"Nothing, I-I just thought I forgot something at home," I managed to say quickly. I wanted to turn around and keep looking at him but I knew Jacob would get suspicious. "Where's everybody else?" I asked him looking around. To my left, I saw a bunch of girls looking towards the entrance of the cafeteria. Great.

"I don't know," he said slowly, "but maybe we should talk before they get here."

I started to pick at some of my fruit while I waited for him to start. I hoped that he wouldn't notice my sudden frantic behavior.

"Bella?" he said in a strange voice. I turned to face him, but he wasn't looking at me.

"Excuse me, are you Bella Swan?" Slowly, I turned around to meet the unfamiliar voice and there he was. He was more beautiful up close, much more. His striking green eyes were fixed on mine, making it impossible for me to reply. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jacob looking at me so I had to pull myself together. I had to say something.

"Er, uh… yeah. That's me." I managed to choke out. He started to smile as he put away the piece of paper in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Sweet. I thought you were going to give me the stink eye or something" he chuckled. I laughed with him, keeping eye contact. His cute laugh slowly died down as his attention diverted elsewhere. "Hey," he said as he extended his hand towards Jacob. "I'm Edward Cullen." He then offered to shake my hand. "Nice to meet you," he said meeting my gaze.

"Ah, you found her!" Jessica said coming out of nowhere, or so I thought.

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard" he said taking his seat across from us.

"I was just telling Edward about you in class. He's an artist too," she said, taking a seat next to Edward.

"I'm not that great," he said eyeing me, "I just do some doodles here and there."

"That's cool," I managed to choke out. I desperately wanted to keep looking at Edward but I decided to look down at my tray after a few seconds. I didn't want to creep him out. I then felt Jacob's hand over my knee. I just stared at my food, wondering where my appetite went.

" So…" Jessica started, "what did you do for fun in back in Seattle?"

So he was from Seattle… I wonder if Alice knew him. She would have told me about him though, how could any girl forget him? It seemed impossible to me. I dared to sneak a few glances at him, analyzing his face more closely trying to find a resemblance to the guy in my dreams. He was just as gorgeous and better than that, he was real, sitting directly in front of me and I was completely fascinated.

I had missed part of the conversation, too busy trying to not be so obviously awestruck.

"Ooh, there's funny movie coming out today," Jessica said looking at Edward. I swear I saw her bat her eyelashes at him. You have got to be kidding me. "We could go watch it, if you want," she continued. Unbelievable, she was already making a pass at him. As I tried to hide my reaction, waiting to hear Edward's response Jacob nudged me at my side. I had sort of forgot about him, how weirdly rude of me. Why was I so enchanted with Edward? I immediately looked down at the table and then up at Jacob. His expression was a bit annoyed but calm all the same.

"Bella I need to talk to you," he whispered pleadingly, looking into my eyes. I could see Edward and Jessica out of the corner of my eye, still in conversation. I swore I saw Edward look over at us but I couldn't be sure. I took Jacob's hand as I stood up from the table, motioning him to follow me. This needed to be taken care of now, my sudden obsession with Edward was getting out of control, I barely even knew him!

I tried to clear my head as we made our way to the courtyard. I stopped in front of the fence and turned around to meet Jacob's eyes. He broke the silence.

"Do you want to be with me?" he asked flatly.

"Why are you asking me this?" I responded after a few seconds. He looked at me like I was playing dumb. I looked around, trying to avoid looking at his face. How long could I keep avoiding the inevitable? I didn't know. I took a deep breath and looked at him.

"We were fine… we were fine until you gave me this," I said as I looked down at my left hand. "It's not like I didn't know that we were going to spend less time together because of basketball practice. Or that we were applying to different colleges," I said as I looked him, "but you made realize that we might not make it and tried to cover it up with a present."

He looked down at his shoes, "I thought you would appreciate it," he said reverting his eyes back to me. "You know how much I care about you and its not like I want to be away from you all the time. I don't know what else to say," he said quietly, looking at the field behind me.

I suddenly felt something in my throat as I stared up at his face. This was it; it was over. My so-called perfect relationship: done. Was I over-exaggerating? Why couldn't I just move past this like everyone else that was together seemed to be doing? I just couldn't bear to continue this only to be left heartbroken anyway. I'd rather get it over with now.

The tears came down my face as I walked past him, the lump in my throat throbbing, feeling like it could burst out of my mouth any second. I didn't look back as I made my way through the cafeteria and reached the girl's bathroom.

It was completely empty but I locked myself in a stall anyway. As I sat there crying I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be okay. I buried my face in my hands stared into the darkness. For a while I forgot everything, felt nothing, and I then felt myself calm down, the lump in my throat residing. I heard a few girls come in and I wondered how much time had passed. I pulled out my phone and realized I only had a few minutes before lunch ended. I didn't want to go back to cafeteria so I texted Jessica, asking her to bring my bag to class.

When I made it to Biology, people were just making their way into class. I rushed to my seat and took a deep breath. I looked out the window trying to avoid everyone, wondering where the hell Jessica was. Was she making out with Edward already?

"Bella?"

Oh my God. I turned my head slowly to confirm that it was indeed Edward standing there, calling my name. As soon as I saw his face I felt a strange tingle in my stomach. Butterflies?

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice taking a worried tone.

It took a couple of seconds for me to answer. What was going on today? It seemed I had gone through almost every emotion today.

"Yeah," I said, strangely without a crack in my voice. He kept his eyes fixed on me expecting another answer as he sat down in the seat next to me.

"Jessica asked me to give you this," he said as he handed me my bag, "she noticed we had the same class." He kept his eyes locked in on mine. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked softly.

I stared into his eyes and found my answer. "I'll be fine," I whispered to him as Mr. Roberts started to address the class.


	5. Fate

You know how they say things happen for a reason? Well they do, even if you don't understand why right away.

"So I'll see you around then?" Edward asked raising his eyebrows. We got to speak very little in class, Mr. Roberts to blame. Edward cracked a few jokes, mostly about our Mr. Roberts to make me feel better despite my telling him that I was perfectly fine. I wanted to ask him about Jessica, if he planned to go out on that date with her but I decided not to. It wasn't my business; I'd convinced myself so.

"Yeah," I said looking into his light green eyes. A sort of smug smile formed at his mouth and I couldn't help biting my lower lip.

I headed out to the parking lot, towards my car. _That_ was an interesting day to say the least I thought as I reached the Rabbit.

_Later on_

"Unbelievable," Alice said staring at me from across her bed.

I had made it to Seattle in a few hours, giving myself time to fully absorb the events that had unfolded at school today. I put on my Beatles playlist on repeat; it was my chocolate, chick flick, or whatever else girls use to ease a boy-inflicted pain. As I told Alice absolutely everything, we were getting ready to go to some party with Jasper.

"Well its not like it came out of nowhere," I said referring to my break-up with Jacob. It was hard to believe that we had broken up only hours ago, it seemed like ages to me.

"It's everything… the break-up, this Edward kid!" she said wide-eyed. "What are you going to do about that anyway?"

"What am _I_ going to do?" I asked confounded. "What is there to do? I already told you about Jessica… besides, it's not like I want to be in another relationship right now… durf." I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"Durf," Alice repeated, copying my expression. We smiled at each other and then she reached over and pulled me in for a hug. "Oh, are you sure you're okay?" she asked pulling away from the hug to see my face.

"Yes," I said slowly.

"He _is_ the man of your dreams though," she said slowly smiling.

"Oh, shut up," I said throwing a pillow at her.

I wasn't really the type who would obsess over what they wore to parties; I'd wear jeans and a shirt for all I cared. But I was in Alice's house and I didn't want to start a fight that would end up being a "fashion intervention" as she had once called it. I put on a short, royal blue dress that Alice had picked out for me, it was rather tight and showed more cleavage than I preferred but I thought, what the hell nobody here knows me anyways. I threw on a black leather jacket, and proceeded to tie my black Converse.

"I hope you know I'm letting you wear those sneakers only because you had a rough day," Alice yelled from the bathroom.

I smiled as I got up to take a look at my hair in the mirror. Alice had convinced me to let her "improve" my hair, I warned her not to go overboard though. I looked at the girl in the mirror and I actually liked what I saw. She had only cut my hair to give me bangs, and I had to admit it suited my face well.

After Alice had finished getting ready we made our way to her car. We made it to the party at about 11pm. Alice's parents were out of town so it didn't really matter what time we got back to the house. As we got out of the car, a cute, tall guy with dirty blond hair approached us. Alice gave him a sort of devilish smile and I knew this had to be Jasper. He introduced himself to me before giving Alice a kiss.

"Bella had a rough day today Jazz," she said to him after the kiss. He looked at me and smiled, "I think we can show her a good time, there's a good band playing here tonight," he said to Alice reassuringly.

The place was definitely packed and I obviously stuck with Alice and Jasper up until I started drinking. It was a couple of shots at first, all in good fun. But then I swore that I saw Edward mixed in somewhere in the crowd. I guess it wasn't impossible for him to be here, after today _anything_ was possible. I started drinking more and more, until I finally summoned the courage to try and find him. I looked around to let Alice know I would be back but I couldn't seem to find her.

I looked around everywhere, squishing in between people handing out I'm sorry's and excuse me's left and right. I was a heartbeat away from giving up my search for Edward not because I wanted to but because I was getting dizzy, everything was getting too hazy, too loud and overall confusing. I decided to sit down to take a break, I had a feeling this was going to be a long night. I ended up sitting next to some guy who seemed to be either high or drunk; his eyes were squinted and he raised his cup to me as I stumbled to sit on the couch. I glanced over to inspect his face because it could have been Edward; I wanted anyone to be Edward at this point. This kid had something written on his forehead, I could only make out a P and an A; the rest was smeared.

"Is, is your n-name Paaa?" I blurted out leaning towards him.

"Dudeee! You're this close," he said almost squishing his fingers together. "It's Paul," he said emphasizing the last two letters.

"Say, Paul? Do YOU know Cullen? Edward? " I shouted over the music.

"Of course I do," he said matter-of-factly. He raised his cup once again, looking behind me and took a sip. Hoping that it was Edward, I turned around to see who he was looking at.

"Bella!" Jessica shouted as she made her way over to us.


	6. Confusion

I rubbed my eyes furiously; they had to be playing tricks on me. "Jess? What are you doing here?" I shouted.

"Hi to you too," she replied sarcastically. "I'm here with the band, oh my God wait until you see him… your hair looks so cute by the way…" She was interrupted by a piercing sound and suddenly someone was testing a microphone.

"Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3," they said. I tried to get up to see where the band was, almost falling back onto the couch.

"Are you drunk Bella?" Jessica asked looking somewhat amused.

"No, just tipsy. Maybe, I don't know. Hey," I said looking straight at her, " so how do you know the band? Let me guess, Edward's in it?" I clasped my hands over my mouth to hide my laugh.

"Yeah," she replied as she looked at me strangely. As I stared at her in disbelief the person with the microphone spoke again. "We're the Killer Dillers, 1,2,3,4!"

My mind was playing tricks on me again; I was hearing the intro to_ Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey. _Suddenly Jessica grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd until the music got louder and louder. When I finally spotted him playing the guitar, my stomach dropped and my palms started to get a bit sweaty. I couldn't fathom what was happening, why Jessica was screaming so loudly next to me, why Edward was so perfect and why my love life was a wreck. I continued to stare at him hopelessly, my heart not even skipping a beat when he finally saw me. He smiled at me or maybe at it was at Jessica. I glanced at her, she was smiling from ear to ear… I felt something weird in my stomach; I was going to be sick. I started to make my way through the crowd as the band finished the song hoping I could find Alice and get out of here ASAP.

The fresh air felt so nice on my face when I got outside. I stood up against a car to keep my balance as I rummaged through my bag to find my phone.

"Hey, you got a light?" said a slightly familiar voice.

I looked up to see Paul with a cigarette in his mouth. "Sorry I don't smoke," I mumbled still looking for my phone. He stepped closer and proceeded to stretch his arm over my shoulder to rest his hand on the car. I kept my head lowered, trying to read through the bright light on the screen of my phone.

"You know, blue is my favorite color," he whispered into my ear.

"That's great," I shot back finally finding Alice's number. As I brought my phone to my ear and lifted my head, I met his dark brown eyes. Before I could tell him to back up he pushed himself on me and started to kiss the side of my neck.

"Get off me!" I screamed as I dropped my phone and bag to push him away. My pushes felt weak; he was too strong for me. Everything seemed so weird; I felt all of Paul's weight on me, everything I saw was black, all the lights were disappearing. All of a sudden I felt nothing on me and I fell to the floor and something was trying to lift me up.

"Bella, Bella, wake up its me Alice!" I opened my eyes and briefly saw her panicked face before everything went black again.

…_You might not feel it now_

_But when the pain cuts through_

_You're gonna know and how _

_The sweat is going to fill your head_

_When it becomes too much_

_You'll shout aloud…_

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling. Still hearing the music, I turned to my side and saw Edward with his headphones on sitting in on Alice's couch. He stared back at me and after a few seconds slipped off his headphones.

"But you'll have to have them all pulled out, after the Savoy truffle," I sang along slowly still staring at him.

"Hey Bella," he said smiling. "Bella, Bella, Bella," he whispered as he made his way over to the bed.

He kissed my forehead making my face feel hot. He slowly made his way down my nose, finally stopping at my lips. "Yes, you'll have to have them all pulled out, after the Savoy truffle," he sang touching my lips with his. I lifted my head slightly so that he could just kiss me faster.

"Your lips are soft, Jessica," he whispered as he was kissing me.

I opened my eyes to see the white ceiling again. I sat up from the bed to make sure I was really awake this time. "Owww," I moaned, I felt like shit. I looked around Alice's room finding no one. It took me longer than it should have to get up from the bed and look for Alice downstairs. I found her in the kitchen looking for something in fridge.

"Hey," I said quietly, even my own voice was too loud for my ears.

"Oh my God, I was just going back upstairs I was just looking for some juice," she said apologetically. "How are you feeling?"

'I have a massive headache and just had the weirdest dream. Ugh," I moaned, "Jessica and Edward. Just, forget it… what happened last night with Paul?

"Wow, I can't believe you even remember that. You were out cold, I almost took you to the hospital," she said worriedly. "I didn't see the whole thing, when Jasper and I got outside Edward was fighting that Paul kid and I picked you up off the street. I almost had a heart attack," she whispered as she made her way around the table to hug me. "I'm so glad you're okay. I'm so so sorry we left you alone," she cried.

"It's okay," I said still trying to remember.

We spent the next twenty minutes talking about what I remembered and what had happened after I passed out. Alice had taken me home leaving Edward and Jasper to deal with Paul; apparently they all knew each other. I wondered how Edward got to get Paul off me.

"Oh and Jacob has been calling non-stop," Alice informed me, "Jessica texted him the whole event."

Great. "What did he say?" I asked as I checked all the missed calls on my phone. 30 missed calls all from Jacob. Before she could tell me the doorbell rang, the sound pounding in my ears.

"I've got it, keep your eyes on the eggs," she said running towards the door.

I figured I should give Jacob a call; it was only fair to let him know that I was okay.


	7. Detour

As I placed the eggs on the serving dish I heard Alice walking back to kitchen, but she wasn't alone. I quickly tried to fix my hair and made sure I wasn't wearing anything too embarrassing. I expected them to come into the kitchen after a few seconds but they didn't.

"Alice?" I asked, walking towards the doorway and almost bumping into her. She had an anxious look on her face and before I could ask she whispered, "Jacob's in the living room."

"What?" I whispered back in shock as she shrugged her shoulders.

I walked to the living room not really thinking anything; my head was still pounding.

But when I saw him standing by the fireplace, holding a bouquet of flowers, I felt a rush of emotions: happy that he came to see me, sad that we weren't together, frustrated about our future, and confused about what I really wanted.

We stared at each other for a few seconds but he broke the silence soon after.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he explained as he walked towards me. "These are for you," he whispered, handing me the flowers.

As I took the flowers I looked up at him and stared into his eyes. Inexplicably, I felt a strong urge, which I acted on before I could even blink. I kissed him. He kissed me back, holding my face in his hands and after a few seconds our lips parted and out foreheads met.

"Thanks Jake," I whispered. "Thanks for coming. I…"

"You know I'd do anything for you," he interrupted, "despite our situation, whatever it is. That doesn't change how I feel about you."

I nodded silently as that familiar lump made its presence in my throat. I hugged him so he wouldn't see the tears that would soon escape my eyes. It had just been a day since we had broken up and after you've been with someone for a long time the feelings don't magically disappear. It takes time and patience… but at this point in time Jacob was there for me and he loved me and I loved him. But I couldn't help think that the person who saved me last night wasn't Jacob. It had also been just a day since I met Edward and he'd already made an impact on my life.

_Later On…_

"So what's the deal with you two?" Alice asked me as we washed the dishes. We had spent a few hours eating breakfast and watching a movie. Alice hadn't made a comment when she saw Jacob put his arm around me but I know she was dying to ask me about it as soon as it happened.

"Are you guys back together?" she quizzed.

"I don't know, things are really complicated right now don't you think?" I replied. "We can't just get back together and then break up again at graduation."

"True," she said handing me a dish to dry, "Same problems, same feelings."

After we finished in the kitchen Alice and I headed back to the living room. As I sat down on the couch next to Jacob, I heard his phone start to ring but instead of picking it up, he silenced it.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously. It was very unlike him to reject a phone call.

"Oh its just Mike," he replied nonchalantly, "he wants to convince me to go to practice tonight."

"Don't skip practice because of me," I said eyeing him. "I'm fine, see?" I said opening my arms, inspecting myself.

"Yeah Jake, she's fine. And besides I'm here you know," Alice cried across the living room.

"No," he said taking a serious tone as he took my hand, "I came to make sure you were okay, you're more important to me than practice right now."

"Jacob, you said it yourself," I started, "You came to see if I was okay and I am. There's no reason to miss practice because of me. Besides you have to drive your own car back home. Are we going to drive side by side so you can protect me?" I said sarcastically.

Alice and I laughed in unison, Jacob smirked also and I could tell he was considering leaving.

"Look," I said, blocking his view of the TV, "I'll stay here tonight, because honestly I'm still a bit hungover… and I'll drive back home tomorrow as soon as I wake up."

"No more parties though right?" he asked.

"No, I promise," I replied. "Pinky promise." Our pinkys interlocked and 20 minutes later he was gone.

"WOOO!" Alice shouted as I closed the front door.

"What's your deal?" I asked wide-eyed.

"I've been waiting for him to leave so I could tell you that… ahem…"she said fake clearing her throat and adopting a British accent, " Mr. Jasper Hale and Mr. Edward Cullen request our presence tonight."

"You're kidding right?" I asked rather seriously, trying to hide my excitement. Alice saw right through me.

"Oh please," she shot back, "You know you want to see him. And it'd be kind of rude not to thank the man of your dreams for saving youuuuu!" she said running up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes; she was having way too much fun with this. As I walked up the stairs, I couldn't hold back smiling.


End file.
